Melanie Gray Augustin is the obsessive creator behind Kimono Reincarnate. She first went to Japan to photograph and teach and while there fell in love with Japanese kimonos. She loves their design, their vibrant colours and their motifs. She would watch in awe women and children in the streets when they were dressed in the traditional wear, it was like seeing a fine piece of artwork moving through the everyday scene. Her curvaceous body shape doesn’t lend itself well to the straight lines of the kimono but she still greedily wanted a share in these lush textiles. That was how Kimono Reincarnate was born. She began to take vintage pieces that time had forgotten and turn them into bags, jewellery and pretty much anything else she could think of. Having lived in Japan for a total of six years, she was able to build her collection of vintage fabrics buying them from local antique markets. Now she’s living back in Australia, she enjoys going through her kimono collection, dreaming of the stories of their past and planning their new form for the future. Each piece she makes is a little bit of traditional Japan with a modern twist.